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Marc Morrone
Pet Expert
Born in the Bronx, Marc Morrone and his family moved to long Island, NY when he was a child. By the time he was 18, his collection of animals had outgrown his parents' house. So, Marc and his partner, Nick Guerra, pooled their money and in 1978 opened Parrots of the World, a pet shop specializing in birds, ferrets and pets other than dogs and cats. Full Bio >>
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Questions and Answers
Want to know more? Read the questions and responses below from Pet Expert Marc Morrone.
Q: How can I keep my cat from eating the plants in the house? - Felicia, 12th Grade Student
A: The best way to protect your plants from the cats is to mix in a quart of
water a tablespoon of red cayenne pepper and a tablespoon of garlic powder and
then let it steep for an hour or so. then strain it in a tea strainer and pour
it into a plant mister and mist the plants with it-the spray will leave a
residual smell that will make the plants less atractive to the kitty.
Q: Did YOU have a dog when you were a kid. - 2nd Grade Student
A: My very first dog was given to me when I was in the first grade-he was a
little black mixed breed dog and I named him Piero.
Q: There was a cat harness you had once that the cat's legs went thru the harness and connected on the back of the cat....where did you get that?
A: That is called a step in harness and you can order them from
www.drsfosterandsmith.com
Q: Hi I am a student online and at scool I have a few simple questions in mind. Are any animals such as tigers, monkeys or birds, hard to take care of? How many help assitence do u have while taming these animals? Are any of the animals hard to control? how many animals are in your zoo? how many pounds a day do each of the animals eat? How do you feel working in a zoo ? is it any trouble? - Jordan, 5th Grade Student from New Jersey
A: Wild animals such as large cats and primates are not considered pets at all.
A pet animal like a dog or cat has been selectively bred for many generations
to act in a way that is predictable to us-wild animals that are kept in
captivity may be tame and not afraid of us and may even like us but they still act
in the way that their instincts tell them to act and this is what makes them so
dangerous when foolish people try to keep them as pets.
Q: My pet 1 1/2 year old cat ,Bear, pees all over the the house, but he never pees in the same spot twice. We also have 2 other cats one of them is Bears brother the other is a 14 year old female. What could I do to stop him from peeing outside of the litter box? - A Cat Loving Family
A: When a cat does this it is usually due to a painfull urinary tract
infection-squatting in the rough cat litter to urinate is uncomfortable to the cat so it
chooses areas that are smoother or softer. A visit to your vet is in order to
stop this problem to accurately diagnose and treat the infection.
Q: My dog keeps barking, why does it bark so much? - 4th Grader
A: A dog can bark excesssively due to many differnet reason and there is not way
that I could address them all here-one of the reasons is that we give the dog
a lot of attention when it barks so the dog thinks that it is doing the right
thing-in this case ignoring the dog is the best thing to do when it barks.
However the best thing to do is to ask your vet if he or she knows of an animal
behaviorist that can come to house to evaluate the situation and determine the
best thing to do.
Q: Our beloved cockatiel, "Diddo" has since we own him (October 2001) always had an open water dish in his cage. He loves to sit on it and as a result he has turned it into kind of a toilet! In other words, he is pooping in his water dish. We have to change the water at least two to three times a day to try and keep it clean. Any suggestions? We thought of getting the other kind of water dish that isn't opened but we fear he may not drink since he is so used to the one he has. What shall we do? - Fredda from New York City
A: Most pet stores sell water bottles made for birds-they look like a hamster
bottle but the tip is larger and more pronounced. To teach your bird to use it
just install it on the cage right over the bird's current water dish for a
couple of weeks-the bird will play and fuss with the tip of the bottle in this
time to satisfy it's curiosity and thus learn that water is in it-when you
acutally see the bird doing this you can do away with the water dish itself. Just
because you have the water in the bottle does not mean that it is clean
however-you still have to wash out the bottle and refill it daily.
Q: I really enjoy your show and find it to be very informative therefore I have a number of questions I would to ask you. They are as follows:
- I have a 4 month old mini rex rabbit named Indy. When I watched your show you suggested using Care Fresh bedding or Aspen wood bedding. Initially, I used the Pine bedding and since I've switched to the Aspen Wood bedding Indy has been eating large portions of the bedding and has slowed down on eating her food and hay. Should I be concerned and what should I do?
- I was told by a sales rep at the pet store where I purchased her to wait 4 to 5 months before fedding her fresh fruits and vegatables. She was just 2 months old then. When can she have fresh foods and what can I feed her that is safe for her to eat?
- What should I do to prevent hairballs?
- Should I buy the drops to put under her nose to prevent colds and infections?
- What can I do to make her coat shinny and keep her skin from flaking and irritaion?
- What is the appropriate age for her to be spayed?
- How can I tell how far down to clip her claws?
Thank you for taking the time to read and answer all of my questions. I look forward to your response. - Leanna
A: Answers to your questions...
- Chewing on Aspen wood is fine and will not hurt the bunny at all but she
should not be actually eating it so I would advise you to either switch to Care
Fresh bedding or better yet to just line her cage with Timpthy Hay-that is how
I keep most of my bunnies.
- Most any healthy bunny can eat veggies and some fruits at 2 months of
age-just stay away from iceberg and romaine lettuce(soft leaf lettuces are fine)
and most sweet juicy fruits-apples and bananas are the best fruits. The main
diet should be the Timothy or other type of grass hay.
- Lots of hay to eat and regular brushing to remove loose fur is the best way
to prevent hairballs.
- Any non-prescription medication or remedy for bunnies do very little good
at all.
- Regular brusing is best for this.
- The best age is 4 to 6 months old.
- Rabbits usually have clear nails with a very visible blood line-just stay
away from the bloodline and all is well.
Q: Where do butterflies go in the rain? - Carol
A: Butterflies and most other insects will find a protected spot under leaves to
hide in during a rain.
Q: Hello Marc; I have two pets one is a Golden Ret. She is about 9 years old I feed her dog food with joint protetion. I saw on your show today that you were talking about vitems for your animals do I need to give my dog Angel a vit? I have asked my vet but she seems to say that Angel does not need one. 2) I also have a parrkeet that is about 7month old does he need a vitiom? The vet wanted me to give him cooked rice, fresh veg, and Apples, bannas, and some other things. Broccoly, but he will not touch it at all. So he is on a diet of seeds, plus he gets a treat of Veg, and frut, mixed with different seeds. I never had a parrkeet before and I want to do the best I can for both my pets. Can you help me in this. - Jeanette
A: Most commercial dog foods have enough vitamins in them for household pet
dogs. Working dogs like police dogs or hunting dogs will require some
supplementation but not pets. Birds usually do well with a vitamin supplement and we give
vitamins to all of ours-most pet stores sell powdered or liqid supplements for
birds that work just fine.
Q: How can I get my pet hamster, Buffy to stop chewing on the wire and plastic on her cage even though she has fruit flavored wood chews, a pumic stone, and empty paper rolls? We watch you every Saturday. - Sheila, 10th Grader
A: Just like you get tired and bored with your toys some hamsters get tired of
theirs! My hamsters favorite chew items are small live branches that we cut off
the trees and shrubs in our backyard. There is no tree or shrub that grows
around here that is bad for a rodent to chew on so you can experiment to see
what kind of natural twig your hamster likes to chew on best.
Q: Why does my cat love getting wet? I thought cats didn't like water. - Seth, 3rd Grader
A: Cats are individuals just like people and some like water and some do
not-looks like yours is one that does. There is even a breed of cat called a
Turkish Van that likes water so much that it will voluntarily go swimming!
Q: What is the life span of a female ragdoll cat? - Bob from Connecticut
A: Most cats are very long lived and I have had several that lived into
their twenties. With a good diet and regular veterinary exams and a bit of luck
your cat may also live as long lives as mine have done.
Q: Everytime there is lightening and thunder my dog goes and hides in the kitchen. She even shakes at time. What can we do to make it less scarey for her. I feel so bad but don't know what to do. She is a wonderful dog and we love her alot. Why is she so scared??? - Sandy
A: Your dog is so scared of thunder as she only hears it infrequently.
Just like a dog that lives in the city gets used to a fire siren because it
hears it so much a thunder phobic dog can get used to thunder if it hears it
for long periods of time. Go to a large music store and buy a tape of a
thunderstorm and play it very softly for looong periods of time in your house. As the
dog gets used to it you can increase the volume gradually so that the dog then
gets so accustomed to hearing thunder that it no longer thinks of it as a
threat.
Q: My hamster chews on his cage bars. I buy him chew sticks, but he doesn't chew them what should i do?
- 9th Grader
A: Some hamsters do not like the processed wood chews that are sold in
pet stores for reason known only to themselves! However if you cut some small
twiggy branches from any live tree in your backyard and wash them off and give
these to your hamster to chew on then you will see that he will enjoy them so
much that he will then leave the bars alone. Be sure to leave the bark on as
that is their favorite part. There are no trees or shrubs that grow in our area
that would hurt a hamster if chewed on so do not worry about that.
Q: Hi Marc, I saw you on The Martha Stewart Show a few years back and you highlighted two great pets. The Sugar Glider and the African Pygmy Possum. I would love to have a possum but I can't find any info on them. How do I find One? - Eva
A: The South American Pygmy Possum is also sold as the Short Tailed
Possum and it's latin name is Monodelphus Domesticus. In order for a pet store to
be able to sell this kind of animal the store must be licensed by the United
States Dept of Agriculture and not many stores are able to do this. However
there are lots of private breeders of them in the US and a google search engine
will pull up quite a few for you to choose from.
The responses and opinions contained herein are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily relect the views or opinions of Power to Learn or Cablevision.
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